In many environments, accurate and precise measurements are required of small positional displacements of objects within mechanical systems. It is also often required to obtain measurements of force applied in a particular direction.
Most mechanical devices designed to obtain these measurements are typically limited by the inherent characteristics of mechanical systems. These limitations include hysteresis and backlash. Also, forces and displacements are rarely limited in application to only a single direction. A force or displacement applied in primarily the z direction, for example, will alamo have components in both the x and y directions. In addition, x, y, and z torsional components will also be present. If it is desired to obtain an accurate measurement of the displacement or force in the z direction only, the effect of these additional components must be minimized in the measurement device.